Gary See

The state’s Air Resources Board analyzed the potential use of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell locomotives on Cajon Pass, but rail industry tells congressional panel that there are no current contenders to replace the diesel.

The California Air Resources Board pitted a standard diesel-electric locomotive consist against zero-emissions alternatives – including battery-electric models from Wabtec and ProgressRail as well as CPKC’s hydrogen fuel cell locomotive – in a hypothetical test run from the Port of Los Angeles to Barstow, Calif.

The analysis concludes that the current zero-emissions locomotives could handle a 130-car double-stack train on the 174-mile run, which includes the 2.2% climb up Cajon Pass.

CARB’s locomotive analysis – conducted all on paper, rather than on rails – evaluated the performance of a typical diesel consist with 4,400-horsepower locomotives, Wabtec’s FLXdrive heavy-haul battery electric, ProgressRail’s SD70J-BB battery electric, and CPKC’s hydrogen fuel cell locomotive accompanied by a tender that would carry extra hydrogen fuel.

CARB on Jan. 1, 2024 imposed an in-use locomotive rule that requires switching, industrial, and passenger locomotives to be zero-emissions by 2030 and freight line-haul locomotives to be emissions-free by 2035. The controversial rule, which is tougher than federal regulations, must be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Railroads have challenged the rule in federal court and have lobbied against it, including a recent House Investigations & Oversight subcommittee hearing.

Read the full story in Trains Online.

This story is from Real Clear Markets.
Click here to read the full story. Below is a condensed summary.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold an important hearing on March 20th to consider a request from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to fundamentally distort the regulation of economically critical railroads and their locomotive fleet. The EPA has a unique opportunity to stand for the rule of law while still advancing its mission for a cleaner environment. Decisive action in defending its regulatory lane and rejecting the overtures of California, which is seeking to obliterate highly efficient locomotives – responsible for just 0.6 percent of U.S. greenhouse emissions – would also protect millions of American businesses and consumers across the country.

At issue is a waiver the state of California must receive to implement a sweeping measure it recently passed. The rule says that railroads must prematurely start retiring their existing locomotive fleet in 2030, and that after 2035 railroads may no longer purchase new locomotives for use in California unless they are “zero-emission.”  Yet no such locomotive is viable today and even the most optimistic forecasts say there is no way railroads could possibly replace thousands of locomotives in less than eleven years. This is to say nothing about very real grid capacity concerns.

The EPA has a choice. We should all hope it makes the right one, favoring solutions that protect the economy while advancing our environmental goals.

Barbara O’Neill, a longtime contributor to the short-line industry retired on Dec. 31.  For more than 18 years, O’Neill was vice president of marketing and sales for Richmond Pacific Railroad Corp.  Her responsibilities included market development, commercial agreements, planning, forecasting, customer service and Class I commercial interfaces. 

Prior to joining the short line, O’Neill served three Class Is for more than 20 years primarily in sales and marketing positions: the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, and CSX.

Late last year, O’Neill, 69, reached the point she was ready to retire after considering it for a while. She wanted to spend more time with family and friends.

 “It was a fun job. The short-line world is more fun since you are close to customers — they’re right there, a few miles away,” says O’Neill. “We can switch cars for them three times in one day, or on a weekend, if that’s what a customer wants. We make it easier for customers and offer a very friendly environment.”

For the full story about Barbara O’Neill’s retirement, read the article at Progressive Railroading.